Pole switch



May 26, 1925. 1,539,316

0. JACOBSON POLE SWITCH Filed y 1923 5 a w j E In ve n/or OLOF' Jameson Patented May 2%, 1925.

UNITED STATES OLOF JACOBSON, or s TOCKI-IOLM, SWEDEN.

POLE SVQTITCH.

Application filed May 3,

To all rv/20m it may concern:

lie it known that I, Oror .lAconsoN, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Stockholm, Sweden, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pole Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement in pole switches of the type often used on transformer poles of country dis tribution systems for enabling the trans former to be disconnected from the hightension lines when required, and which are provided with movable contact members which are usually combined with safety fuses and are supported by an arm, frame, or the like rotatably journaled to the pole at approximately half its height, so that it may be swung down for inspection or change of fuses. Owing to the prescribed great height of the high-tension poles the said arm or frame has a considerable weight owing to which it is rather diflicult to swing the same up and down, which swinging of the frame is usually performed by the aid of a long reach rod the weight of which will, of course, add itself to the weight of the frame. In order to facilitate the swinging of the frame it has therefore been proposed to balance the same with counterweights which entails the disadvai'itage, however, that the load on the pole is considerably increased, and that the mounting of the frame on the pole is made more difficult, in addition to which the counter weight will be swung upwards into the vicinity of the higlrtension lines, when the frame is swung down, so that the counterweight may easily touch said lines and thus cause accidents.

The present invention has for its purpose to avoid the said difficulties, and is broad ly characterized by that the arm or frame actuated by one or more springs which tend to balance its weight during the swinging of the frame upwards and downwards and thus to facilitate such swinging. The portion of the weight of the frame which must be overcome during such swinging, varies with the different positions of the frame and is greatest in its horizontal position, and the spring actuating the arm or frame is therefore suitably connected with said arm or frame in such manner that it acts upon the same with a force which is increased or decreased in proportion to the varying weight of the frame in its different 1923. Serial No. 636,326.

positions during the swinging. The pressure of the spring on the frame being comparatively small when the frame is in its upright and. approximately vertical position, so that the spring can not be depended upon. to maintain the contact members supported by the frame in engagment with the station'ary contact members of the switch, the present invention also comprises means for securing the frame to the pole in its upright position when the movable contact members engage the stationary contact members and thus the switch is closed.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an embodiment of the present invention by way of example. Fig. 1 shows a front View of a switch according to the invention mounted on a transformer pole, and Fig. 2 shows a side view of the switch. Fig. 3

shows to a larger scale a fractional side view. Fig. 4 shows from below the locking clamp for the reach rod.

In the drawing the pole is shown as a double pole 21 supporting in the usual manner the transformer 22 and the insulators 23 for the high-tension lines 24:. Below said lines there is provided a protection frame 25 which serves to prevent the line wires from touching the switch, should the lines break. The switch which is mounted immediately below the protection frame 25, consists of the stationary contact members 3 which are supported by two cross stays .26, 27, and are formed as spring forks in two bearings '12 secured to the pole at ap- ]')roximately half its height, so that said. frame may be swung down through approximately 180 for inspection and change of fuses. The swinging of the frame up and down is effected by the aid of the reach rod 8. The upper end of said rod is connected by means of a joint 7 to a catch 5 turning on a horizontal pin 6 in the frame 1, so

that the catch 5 be caused to engage the stay 27 and thus to secure'the frame 1 in its upright position, in which the movable contact members 2 engage the stationary contacts 3. In said position the frame 1 bears against a' stop 1 secured to the stay 27, which stop together with the catch 5 maintains the frame 1 in the posi tion shown with full drawn lines in Fig. 2, so that the frame can not be moved at of such position by the wind.

The axis of the joint 7 is perpendicular to the pin 6 on which the catch 5 turns in the frame 1, so that said catch 5 may easily be moved into and out of engagement with the stay 27 by means of the rod 8, as it will only be necessary to swing the lower end of said rod 8 outwards from the pole, to the right in Fig. 1, in order to turn the catch 5 out of engagement with the stay 27, and to swingsaid end of said rod in towards the pole for turning the catch 5 into engagement with the stay 27. The lower end of the rod 8 is afterwards locked to a crossstay 16 by means of a clamp 10,

shown from below in Fig. 1, which embraces the :rod, and the apertured end of which maybe pushed over a stud 11 which has a hole for receiving a cotter or a padlook so that the switch may be locked.

hen zit is desired to open the switch,

but not to inspect the fuses, the frame 1 .is swung out to the position illustrated in dotted and dashed lines in Fig. 2. In this position the frame 1 may be locked by means of a U-shaped catch 9 secured to the rod -8 vand which 'is brought into engagement with the'stay 16, after which the rodfiis again locked to said stay by means of the clamp 10. Owingto the joints 6 and 7 the .rod 8 isprevented from turning on its longitudinal axis, so that it is im possible in this manner to 'move the catch v9 out of engagementwith the stay 16. The

frame ,1 secured inrthe said position serves as .-a;s1gnal,arm indicating at great distance that the current is off, which is advantageous as .it is thus easy to make .sure that the transformer is not unnecessarily connected and consumes no-loadcurrentfor no useful purpose.

If it is desired to inspect or replace any of the :fuses the frame 1 must be swung down ientirely which is also effected by. means of the rod 8. When the lower end of .said rod is swung out from the pole the catch-5 becomes disconnected, after which the frame may be let down. The portion ,of ,the weight of the framel which one will have to carry by means of the rod 8, is of course increased .as the frame is swung out from the pole, and becomes greatest in the horizontal position of the frame, after which it is .again decreased. In order to facilitate the swinging of the frame up 18 so as to tend to turn the same in counter-' clockwise direction in Fig. 3. The pin 18 is journaled in the bearing 12 at a distance outside the shaft 15 of the frame 1 and carries an arm 14 which is forced by the spring vagainst a roller or stud .13 secured to the frame 1, thus tending to swing the frame 1 upwards. The springs 17 in the two bearings 12 thus tend to counter-balance the weight of the frame 1 so that said frame will be more easilyhandled. Owing to the pin 18 bcing placed at the same height but .at a distance outside the fulcrum 15 of'the frame, the length of the lever arm with which the arm 14: actuates the stud 13 sliding against the same, will vary with the different positions of the frame 1, as shown in dotted and dashed lines in Fig. 3, so that said lever arm becomes shortest and thus also the pressure upwards of the sible in this manner to attain that the springs 17 will act upon the frame 1 with a pressure substantiallyproportional to the varying weight of the frame 1 in its different positionsduring the swinging up and down of the same.

The embodiment above'described and illustrated in the drawing is only to be considered asan example and may be modified in various ways without departing from the principle of the invention, whlch consists ln placlng the frame 1 under lnfluence of spring pressure which tends to counterbalance .a greater or less portion of the weight of the frame and thereby to facilitate the swinging up and down of the i frame.

Iclaim: '1. In a pole switch, the combination of a swinging frame and a spring actuated arm contacting with said frame and tending to ,urgethe same upwardly, the contact of said frame and arm being slidable when said frame is swung whereby the effective length of saidarm is varied, thus causing said arm to exert a varying force on said frame at different angular positions to counterbalance the weighttherof.

'2. In a pole switch, the combination of stationary contact members, movable contact members, a swinging frame-supporting said movable contact members, a stud on said frame, a rotatable arm bearing agalnst said stud, a spring actuating said arm so as to force the same against s ald stud, the fulcrum of said arm bemg located eccentrlcally to and at the same height as the ful crum of said frame, for the purpose that the length of the lever arm with which said arm acts on said stud on said frame shall vary with the different angular positions of said frame and be shortest in the horizon tal position of the same, so that the pressure exerted on said frame by said spring shall vary substantially in proportion to the varying weight of the frame during its swinging.

3:3. in a pole switch, the combination of stationary contact members, movable contact members, a swinging frame supporting said movable contact members, at least one spring actuating said frame and adapted to counter-balance its weight during the swinging of said frame, a member secured to the pole, a catch pivoted in said frame, and a reach rod attached to said catch in such manner as to enable said catch to be moved into engagement with said member by swinging said rod towards the pole.

4t. In a pole switch, the combination of stationary contact members, movable contact members, a swinging frame supporting said movable contact members, and a spring actuated arm pivoted eccentrically with respect to the fulcrum of said frame and acting on said frame with a varying force corresponding to the varying momentum of said frame when swung so as to counterbalance its weight in different angular positions. I

5. In a pole switch, the combination of stationary contact members mounted at the top of the pole, a swinging frame having a length substantially equal to half the height of the pole and pivoted at one end to the pole at a point substantially half way of its height, movable contact members attached to the other end of said frame, and at least one spring acting on said frame and adapted to act as a counterweight to balance the weight of said frame when swung.

6. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a pivoted frame adapted to be moved about its pivot from an upper vertical position through a horizontal position to a lower vertical position, and vice versa, and a spring tending to urge said frame to upper vertical position with a force decreasing during the movement of said frame from horizontal position to either of said vertical positions.

OLOF JAGOBSON. 

